Swans vs Eagles - match day thread

[CureTheSane]

Overall I thought it was a good tough game.
2 sides playing their first for the year and that was evident.

Free kick count surprised me.
But I didn't feel at all that we were hardly done by the umpires, which is probably an indication that WC were to some degree.

All the cheering for WC from the commentary is fair to a degree, it is their home game, at a new ground, they are going to pump it up.
Let's see if we get the same kudos at our home games.

Given the early game, I'm cutting a lot of slack, but will point out what I took from the game.

Cunningham was exciting and powerful when he got the ball. Not sure how much game time he had, but if he can guild on it he'll be valuable.
McVeigh is an early worry. Slow and tired looking already.
Jones carries the criticisms I had of him from last year.
Poor decision making, slow, passes to player under pressure, turnovers. Not in my best 22 due to that he still carries these problems from last year, so they weren't exclusive to this game.

Aside from that, a win is a win, and if anyone said we'd be marking down that one, at a new ground in WA, with a huge crowd, and all the expectation, I'd have taken it.
And I am

[dejavoodoo44]

We won the centre clearances 19-13 and 47-38 overall. We should have done better considering we lost the hitouts 66-17.

It was probably Sinclair's best game. He had 7 clearances on his own. I've been a critic, but he'll win me over if he keeps playing like this.

Buddy is too good for words, but we're going to have to spread the load in weeks to come. Parker is a man on a mission this year.

We really need to sharpen up our ball movement for next week and tighten up on our defensive coverage when the ball comes over the back.

A nice win to start the season, but a reality check as well.

Parker? I think it's Parkadinho now. And they are interesting stats: get smashed in the hitouts, but convincingly win the clearances. Though it would be nice to win more of the hitouts and then win the clearances by an even greater margin. Maybe Sinclair will rise to the challenge? To me, he seems likely to improve his rucking as the year goes on, now that he has the responsibility of being our number one ruckman.
Actually, the main area where I'm starting to miss having a high quality tap ruckman, is when we get a stoppage deep in the forward line. In the past, I often felt confident that we could get a shot at goal, via our ruckman tapping it into the path of someone moving into a dangerous position at the stoppage. Now I don't feel that confidence.

[Bloods05]

Let�s see ???? might have something to do with a 68% winning record as a coach, making finals every year he�s coached, coached us to 3 Grand finals and delivered ua a premiership, took us to a finals campaign despite a 0:6 start. All of this despite a trade ban that severely limited outer recruiting. Some people are hard to please

We won the centre clearances 19-13 and 47-38 overall. We should have done better considering we lost the hitouts 66-17.

It was probably Sinclair's best game. He had 7 clearances on his own. I've been a critic, but he'll win me over if he keeps playing like this.

Buddy is too good for words, but we're going to have to spread the load in weeks to come. Parker is a man on a mission this year.

We really need to sharpen up our ball movement for next week and tighten up on our defensive coverage when the ball comes over the back.

A nice win to start the season, but a reality check as well.

Facts, schmacts.

[dejavoodoo44]

It�s great to have the footy back! Swans weren�t at their best but I�m not sure many teams will be travelling to Perth. I�ll definitely take a 29 point win with heaps of improvement left.

Buddy was magnificent. I reckon Heeney gets Brownlow votes too. I�m excited to see him go to a new level this year. Hayward keeps his position. I think Fox does too. Cunningham, Florent, Newman, and McVeigh under the most pressure to be replaced by Hanners and Rohan for next week (and possibly Reid).

The umps made a few mistakes but overall they were pretty fair. Any early negative talk about Longmire is ludicrous. Buddy kicked 8 firstly because he is a legend but secondly because the other forwards were all told to get up the ground creating space for the big man.

Well done Swans. I can�t wait to see them live again next Sunday. Should be a cracker against Port.

Yes, I thought that Heeney was excellent and often went at the contest harder than any West Coast player in the vicinity. Though I was a little surprised that Hayward spent a fair bit of time in the midfield, he did do some classy things while in there. And the bonus couple of goals at the end were handy.
I'm not entirely convinced by Fox. While he has improved from last year, there were a couple of times were he could have flew in from the side, in order to stop a leading Eagle from marking and scoring. I might be being a bit harsh, as it may not be his job, but I got the feeling that Melican may have appreciated the assistance.

[AB Swannie]

I also have to say that Jetta has always been a favourite of mine and so it was great seeing him in the best players list for the Swans once again.

[dejavoodoo44]

I have been told the reason that the ground wasnt a sell out is because they are yet to fully migrate all memberships across from subiaco correctly yet. Perhaps they havent migrated the home town umpiring across either.

We got a bit of the rub of the green, but some appaling calls that were costly too. That florent unrewarded tackle could easily have been the moment to really switch the game - had it been paid we may wall moved it on to kick a goal - instead it went up the other end and momentum swung big time. Thankfully at the end of the day it didnt matter.

Yes, if we could have scored after the Florent tackle, then that probably would've snapped the leg rope. Then again, I thought we were lucky to get that kicking in danger free, that wiped out the Le Cras goal.
And I wonder if any Weagles supporters are already saying, "Aww, this stadium sucks! We never used to lose the free kick count at Subi".

[ernie koala]

Jones carries the criticisms I had of him from last year.
Poor decision making, slow, passes to player under pressure, turnovers. Not in my best 22 due to that he still carries these problems from last year, so they weren't exclusive to this game.

Totally disagree. He takes the game on, plays with intensity, I love the way he goes about it...An integral piece of the puzzle... He's in my best 22 every day of the week

[Doctor]

We just went to Perth and won on their new home deck. A couple of years ago we went to Adelaide and did the same thing. We're the wreckers!

[Nolie]

I was impressed by Fox. Heeney played well which is encouraging. He looks fitter this year.

[Auntie.Gerald]

As I mentioned early in pre season and last season the flexibility of contested and uncontested footy and obviously the change with the rule re encroachment will change out best 22

There are a players that are in the 22 that I think will fall backwards due to the above demands and there will be players that will rise above irrespective of their talent

Fox is a good example of a player that can run and carry, defend very aggressively, use the Ball well, is faster then the likes of Neman and Macca etc so on the big fields if he continues his pre season form fox will be in the 22

Some players that we have grown accustomed to being in the 22 will struggle to stop a player like Fox being picked

The transitions are completely different then years gone past and it is demanding quick movements with lots of give and go / run and carry players rotating thru the back line

Frankly there is a couple players in that back line rotation who can not do that.......they have other strengths that do not particularly compliment where the game is at right now and the rest of 2018

[Captain]

Really exciting game and one that I enjoyed watching. What an awesome stadium as well.

Buddy is the king. Great coaching by Longmire to keep him one out and deep.

Heeney, Parker and Lloyd were all really solid.

Jones and Mills need to lift and become the players we know they can be for us to run deep into September. Jones is dumb at times, taking the game on is fine but not when you constantly get caught holding the ball.

[jono2707]

If that was the 2018 version of Nick Smith out there then he is in for a stellar year. He was superb in a backline that soaked up an immense amount of pressure at times.